A personal exploration of autism from a brother’s perspective, including family relationships, philosophy, neuroscience, mental health history and ethics

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Mike Portrait No. 7 June 2017 – Fear

This may be the last portrait in the June 2017 series of portraits of and about my older brother Mike.* I don’t think there is much more for me to say, visually, about Mike at this time. Forcing the issue is not a productive endeavor, so for the moment I will put it to rest.

This blog began as a recapitulation of my attempts to make contact with Mike, to understand autism and the brain and the effect he had on my family. The blog focus has shifted to an exploration visual expression to ‘make visible’** my understanding (or lack thereof) of my brother and other aspects of my emotional interior landscape.

Every now and then a new thought occurs to me about Mike and his effect on my family. Mike also greatly affected my younger brother. This manifested itself in my younger brother’s failure to remember much about Mike, except for being afraid.

The portrait below could depict Mike’s fear of the world around him or younger brother’s fear of the world inhabited by Mike.

Mike Portrait #7 – Fear12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

*Mike is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal.

**Paul Klee, Bauhaus Master stated: “Art does not reproduce the visible, rather it makes visible.”